Sunday, October 16, 2016

Give the Determined Mind a Chance

At the
prodding of my friends I am writing this story. My name is Mildred Honor. I am
a former elementary school Music Teacher from Des Moines, Iowa.

I have
always supplemented my income by Teaching Piano Lessons…Something I have done
for over 30 years. During those years, I found that Children have many levels
of musical ability, and even though I have never had the prodigy, I have taught
some very talented students.

However, I
have also had my share of what I call ‘Musically Challenged Pupils. One such
Pupil being Robby. Robby was 11 years old when his Mother (a Single Mom)
dropped him off for his first Piano Lesson.

I prefer that
Students (especially Boys) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby.
But Robby said that it had always been his Mother’s Dream to hear him play the
Piano, so I took him as a Student.

At the end
of each weekly Lesson he would always say ‘My Mom’s going to hear me Play
someday.’ But to me, it seemed hopeless, he just did not have any Inborn
Ability. I only knew his Mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or
waited in her aged Car to pick him up.

She always
waved and smiled, but never dropped in; then one day Robby stopped coming for his
Lessons. I thought about calling him, but assumed that because of his lack of Ability
he had decided to pursue something else. I was also glad that he had stopped
coming.

He was a Bad
Advertisement for my Teaching! Several Weeks later I mailed a flyer recital to
the Students’ homes. To my surprise, Robby (who had received a flyer) asked if he
could be in the Recital. I told him that the Recital was for current Pupils and
that because he had dropped out, he really did not qualify.

He told me
that his Mother had been sick and unable to take him to his piano lessons, but
that he had been practicing.

‘Please Miss
Honor, I’ve just got to Play,’ he insisted. I don’t know what led me to allow
him to play in the Recital – perhaps it was his insistence or maybe something inside
of me saying that it would be all right.

The night of the Recital came and the high
school gymnasium was packed with Parents, Relatives and Friends.

I put Robby
last in the Program, just before I was to come up and thank all the Students
and Play a finishing piece. I thought that any damage he might do would come at
the end of the Program and I could always salvage his poor performance through
my ‘Curtain Closer’.

Well, the
Recital went off without a Hitch, the Students had been practicing and it showed.
Then Robby came up on the stage. His Clothes were wrinkled and his Hair looked
as though he had run an egg beater through it.

‘Why wasn’t he dressed up like
the other Students?’

I thought. ‘Why
didn’t his Mother at least make him Comb his Hair for this Special Night?’

Robby pulled
out the Piano bench, and I was Surprised when he announced that he had chosen
to play Mozart’s Concerto No.21 in C Major. I was not prepared for what I heard
next. His fingers were light on the keys, they even danced nimbly on the
Ivories.

He went from
Pianissimo to Fortissimo, from Allegro to Virtuoso; his Suspended Chords that
Mozart demands were Magnificent! Never had I heard Mozart played so well by
anyone his age.

After six
and a half minutes, he ended in a Grand Crescendo, and everyone was on their
feet in Wild Applause!!!

Overcome and
in Tears, I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in Joy;

‘I have never
heard you Play like that Robby, how did you do it?’

Through the Microphone
Robby explained: ‘Well, Miss Honor, Remember I told you that my Mom was sick?
Well, she actually had Cancer and Passed Away this Morning. And well… she was
Born Deaf, so tonight was the first time she had ever heard me Play, and I
wanted to make it Special.

There wasn’t
a Dry Eye in the house that evening. As People from Social Services led Robby
from the stage to be placed in to Foster Care, I noticed that even their Eyes
were red and Puffy. I thought to myself then how much Richer my Life had been,
for taking Robby as my Pupil.

No, I have
never had a Prodigy, but that night I became a Prodigy… of Robby.

He was the
Teacher and I was the Pupil, for he had taught me the meaning of Perseverance
and Love and Believing in yourself, and may be even taking a chance on someone
and you didn’t know why.